Wild coho season on Siletz closes Nov. 30Managers say plenty of fish available for harvest

November 22, 2010

NEWPORT, Ore. – The wild coho salmon season on the Siletz River closes next week and according to fishery managers there are still plenty of fish available for harvest.

According to Derek Wilson, ODFW fish biologist in Newport, anglers have harvested only about 55 percent of the available quota of 400 wild coho.

“We haven’t been seeing very many wild coho being caught although wild coho returns appear to be at or above expectations,” he said.

The catch rate could be low because the coho have been moving through the system quickly, because many anglers are focused on chinook salmon, or because of the inherent low susceptibility of coho to harvest after they leave the ocean and stop feeding, Wilson added.

ODFW received sanction from NOAA Fisheries Service to open a very conservative fishery on Siletz wild coho, which are listed under the federal Endangered Species Act.

“Under the terms of the NOAA authorization we aren’t allowed to extend the season on wild coho so it will definitely close on Nov. 30,” Wilson said.

While the season for wild coho closes next week, the Siletz River will remain open for chinook salmon fishing until Dec. 31.

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